Travel with Jano: Children in Botswana

He might only be eight years old but Jano has already been on several safaris with our family (Walter, Melanie and Kai). When he was younger, the safaris were mainly in the malaria-free areas of South Africa – Madikwe, the Waterberg region and so on. But eight is an age that Jano feels a suitable one for him to push the envelope a little: it was time to take him to Botswana.

Jano travelled with me, his dad Walter, to Botswana for a week. We covered the Okavango Delta, Moremi Reserve and the Kalahari, experiencing diverse activities, different habitats and so many animals. And why not? Botswana, with its deserts, deltas and savannahs, is all about diversity which makes it one of the best safari destinations for both young and old. There is plenty of game viewing and wildlife photography but also water activities, walking and many family-based experiences.

All the lodges we stayed in were fantastic and focused on kids. This is very important, as Jano wanted to do all the activities that adults are allowed to do, plus all the other fun stuff that they offer children. We’d done some careful research: there are lodges that claim to be child friendly but, for example, do not allow children on walking safaris or mokoro rides. Botswana is mostly for children older than six but there are lodges that take children of all ages. Make sure you stay at the right lodges to get the best experience for children – like Jano, they will want to do all the activities available.

Watching wild dogs on the hunt and seeing leopard cubs rated as Jano’s best sightings on the safari, but equally memorable was the Kahalari walk with San Bushmen as well as a sleep-out under the stars. And we really did roast marshmallows over the camp fire; being out in nature is so special and what a great way to bond with your children. Not to my surprise, Jano wants to be a ranger or nature guide when he grows up.

I’ve found that travelling with children is made easier by keeping experiences diverse and interesting. Kids tend to enjoy a faster pace to new experiences, and we’ve found that kids and teenagers enjoy two-night stays at different lodges whereas older folks prefer slowing the pace down with a three-night stay. So when travelling with an inter-generational family, we suggest a good combination of the two, changing the length of the stays at destinations with perhaps more time at the one with the biggest swimming pool.

I also found that although Botswana is a big country, its many diverse areas are all a short 30-45 minute flight apart. It’s much easier than you think to combine the Kalahari Desert and the grasslands of the Makgadikgadi Pans with the lush Okavango Delta and Moremi Reserve. We found Moremi best for predators, the Kalahari best for walking, and even Jano was silenced by the huge elephant herds of the Chobe National Park.

My conclusion? Never think it’s too early to take kids on safari; Jano was only three when we took him on safari the first time. But chose the destination accordingly, and as I discovered, the more diversity you can offer, the more fun they have.